HP is Investigating Non-Plastic Alternative for Printers

Date: February 11, 2010

New York, NY -- One would be hard-pressed to go a week without hearing something about being more green these days (not that that’s a bad thing). Printer and computer manufacturers are becoming increasingly proactive and looking to the future for their product lines. HP already makes a printer that is largely made from recycled material. Plastics are not the best material for our environment anyway, recycled or not. They also require petroleum, and that substance is becoming increasingly rare. Now it looks like a potential trend is going beyond that, to having printers made without plastic at all. HP is examining the use of bio-resin made by corn starch, as an eco-friendly alternative.

The idea of building a printer made without plastics is not a new concept to HP, they have been examining alternatives back as far as 2000. That said, at this point in time, corn products can not be considered the most viable option. The downside to using corn products is that they are a major food source, the more that is used for printers, the less that will be available for consumption. In addition, growing corn requires a lot of energy, which needs to be accounted into the manufacturing process. Thus, it is very important to find the right balance with growing corn and then dividing it between food products and the manufacturing of these bio-resins.

Currently, no HP printer products are manufactured with these bio-resins. HP undoubtedly though will be keeping on top of the idea as time moves forward. If one becomes viable, HP will embrace it, but until that time, you can still count on HP to bring the best eco-friendly practices available into their business.

BY ADAM HAIGH, Editor